Daystar Ascending
by monicawoe
Summary: written between 12/2010 and 2/2011 this story explores the idea that Sam and Lucifer are indeed two halves made whole. This is an AU set after 6x11.
1. The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Meg smirks, "What's the matter Dean? Did you think we had something special? Did you think after everything we'd been through together I wouldn't try to kill you?"

Dean struggles against Meg's power, but he stays firmly planted against the wall. "Nah, we knew we couldn't trust you, bitch. Sammy, I told you this was coming, didn't I?"

Sam continues staring intently at Meg, but he doesn't respond.

Meg saunters closer, her heeled boots clicking against the warehouse floor with each step "Aww... I'm sorry about all this Sam, but you understand, right? You two are just too dangerous to keep around. I'm taking over Hell, and I'm not going to make the same mistake every one of my predecessors made and leave you both breathing."

Dean snorts loudly,"Jeez will you just quit yapping! If you're gonna kill us, kill us- but don't stand there monologuing about it for hours!"

"Fine." Meg's mouth curves ever so slightly as she closes her eyes. When she opens them again they're black. "Come on boys, dinner time."

Dean's eyes widen as the warehouse fills with the growling of Hellhounds.

"Say your goodbyes you two. There's over two dozen hungry, hungry pups here..." Meg announces, and turns her back on Sam and Dean.

It's a mistake.

Sam slides down from the wall free of Meg's hold, right arm up, palm facing outward. His eyes are glowing bright, white, miniature suns. Around them black tar-blood spatters as the Hellhounds explode one by one. Meg turns to him in shock.

"Sammy?" Dean strains, trying to move his head so he can see his brother's face. "SAM!"

Sam closes his hand into a fist slowly, and Meg falls to her knees. She screams as light shines from within her host's body. Eyes, mouth and ribcage all the color of flame before she collapses, dead.

Sam sinks to the floor and brings a hand up to his head.

Dean, freed from Meg's hold runs over to Sam. "Sam, what the Hell? You okay?"

The warehouse is making odd groaning noises, the metal railings around them creaking. Sam clutches at his head, "Dean, I can't- you have to get out of here."

"Let's go then." Dean says, grabbing onto Sam's shoulder.

"No, I have to hold it back- just go. Now." Sam says, his voice low.

"Sam- what's going on, is it...do you remember something? Is it...is it the Cage? Whatever it is, we'll handle it ok?"  
>Behind them, a crack starts to open in the floor. When the crack hits the back wall of the building, the wall starts to shake as part of it collapses. Dean grabs his brother again, "We have to go Sammy, now."<p>

Sam is panting, his eyes pressed shut, still holding his head. "Dean, go- now. RUN!"

"That's not gonna happen Sammy, I'm not gonna just leave you here." Dean protests.

Sam opens his eyes again, still gleaming, and Dean is thrown out the split in the wall. As Dean watches, Sam folds in on himself, and the walls come tumbling down.


	2. All the King's Horses

Castiel was surprised. He hadn't thought the spell would work. He had hoped it would, because he was desperate for help. Raphael's latest attack had crippled Castiel's forces and he could tell he was about to lose much, if not all of his support.

Castiel spoke through the channel he'd opened "Michael, are you there? Can you hear me?"

Michael's voice came, much smaller than Castiel remembered:"I hear you, brother."

"Michael, it is good to hear your voice. I am sorry the Host has been unable to find a way to free you. We are in the midst of war." Castiel was ashamed to admit this, despite not even being sure what side Michael would be on were he free.

"So he tells me." Michael answered.

"He? Has...have others contacted you?" Castiel was shocked- what if Raphael had-

Michael laughed bitterly: "The only one I have to talk to down here is Lucifer. And now that Sam's topside, Lucifer can't ignore me anymore."

"But how would Lucifer know about the war?"

"A vessel and their angel are always connected, you know this Castiel. Even more so in this case." Michael sounded tired and angry.

"Sam has been contacting Lucifer? He doesn't even remember Hell. Death made sure of that when he-"

Michael laughed again: "Please. Death's little dam of amnesia has already broken. And no, Sam hasn't been contacting Lucifer, not exactly."

"I don't understand. Sam's body returned, free of Lucifer and empty of Sam's soul. There was no connection- I sensed nothing of Lucifer in him." Castiel had searched Sam thoroughly when he was looking for his soul. He would not have overlooked even the tiniest spark of Lucifer's presence.

"Sam's soul and Lucifer are intertwined. When Sam said 'Yes' that was forever, you understand that right?" Michael sighed, and continued wearily:" When we got here, our precious vessels were pointless. Lucifer and I together forced them back out. I sent Adam's soul on it's way to Heaven, but Lucifer," Michael snorted, "Lucifer clung to Sam's soul until it tore free from his body. He spent the next hundred years doing nothing but working on Sam."

Castiel swallowed," The torture must have been indescribable. I am sorry for Sam, but Michael, please...I need your help. Raphael-"

"Raphael and you are fighting a pointless battle. Heaven is busy tearing itself apart, and no one has been paying attention to what's happening on Earth."

Castiel thought he could feel Michael glaring at him. "What is happening?"

"Go ask Sam Winchester. Or go ask Meg, the acting Queen of Hell. Have you heard from her lately? Tell me Castiel, can you sense her anywhere?"

"Michael I..." Castiel tried again, "I need guidance! You know more than you are telling me, and our brothers are dying fighting what you call a 'pointless battle'!"

"Did you ever wonder, Castiel, why Sam never suffered withdrawal symptoms from all that demon blood he drank before saying yes to Lucifer?" Michael asked.

"I...no I didn't think of it, but I assume it had to do with his missing soul."

"That's right. Sam's soul was in agony down here. Ironic really. He was deep in the Pit surrounded by exactly what he needed, but with no way to get to it. His hunger was driving him mad..." Michael went quiet.

"Michael, where is Lucifer?" asked Castiel carefully.

"Lucifer took pity on Sam. He didn't have any demon blood to give him, but he did have something even better. Something far more potent, and far more permanent." Michael started snickering,"He fed Sam his _grace_ Castiel. Lucifer, who wouldn't bend a knee to mankind, gave everything of himself to Sam. Death may be older than us all, but he's a fool. He saw all of us, he saw Lucifer- saw what a husk he's become, but he freed Sam anyway."

"Then what...what do I do now?"Castiel pleaded, "Michael!"

But there was no answer.


	3. When the Dawn Breaks

"Sam." Lucifer whispers gently.

...and _how can light whisper anyway_ Sam wonders for the millionth time.

"Sam, let me help you. I can make the pain stop, I promise."

Sam holds back another scream as his body _what body- soul, he's just a soul now_ feels like it's being torn apart molecule by molecule. He's known the withdrawal would be worse than it had ever been if he survived Lucifer, but he hadn't expected to actually survive.

"This must be unbearable for you. Surrounded by demons, by the very thing that could make the hunger stop, but with no way to reach them. I really can help you Sam. I've never lied to you, and I'm not lying now."

Sam can feel Lucifer lift him up gently from where he's curled into a fetal position on the ground _what ground_... He's propped up in a mostly seated position surrounded by Light _the morningstar_. An arm, _a solar flare, as all of Lucifer is now, wraps around him and his head is pushed gently forwards._

"Drink, Sam. Drink and be whole."

Sam doesn't understand, not really, but it doesn't matter because his mouth is touching the Light and it's fire and it's heat and it's _everything_. A maelstrom of power and it doesn't stop_ it doesn't stop_

"My father, he has no idea what I've learned, what I'm capable of now. I've had so much _time_ in here Sam. The demons served their purpose. They're more than cannon fodder. They made you possible. And you, you're more than my vessel Sam, you're the other part of _me_. You're going to do what I never could. You're going to get out of here and you're going to _win_, Sam."

Sam is in the Cage, he's in Hell, he's in Heaven, he's in ecstasy and the Light is everywhere it's _everywhere_ and so is he. Nothing is hidden, nothing's impossible, and everything around him is just so damn _small_ now.

Lucifer laughs, but he sounds...so...weak.


	4. The Tide Turns

Dean doesn't know how long he's been out here waiting. He thinks it was around noon when they got to the warehouse -now a giant pile of rubble- where Meg had been waiting for them. The sun is making its way to the horizon, tinging the sky blood red and dark orange. He hasn't seen Sam, hasn't seen anyone, for hours. His mind has been replaying what happened inside over and over on a masochistic loop. He desperately wants to make sure Sam is ok - aside from the whole glowing eyes bit-and seriously, what the _hell_, but he hasn't been able to make himself move. Either that or he can't move and he really doesn't want to think about the implications of that.

The sky's shifted into an even darker red when Sam finally emerges from the ruined building. He's walking slowly, no apparent haste and no apparent injury. Dean startles at the sound of fluttering wings behind him. "Cas?"

"Dean." Castiel isn't looking at Dean though, he's staring at Sam with an odd expression (even for an angel).

Dean finally gets his body to respond and gets up. "Sammy, you ok?"

Sam's eyes are normal, no trace of the white fire from earlier showing in them. "I'm fine, Dean. Castiel, how goes the battle?"

Castiel answers hesitantly, "Not well, Raphael has taken many of my brothers and sisters from me."

"I'm sorry to hear that. So, Michael didn't have anything useful to tell you?" Sam asks in a flat tone.

"Michael?" Dean snaps "Cas? You wanna share with the class?"

Castiel swallows, "I...Sam, how did you know I contacted Michael?"

"You know exactly how. Tell the truth, Castiel. Tell Dean why you're really here."

Sam is eyeing Castiel with something like humor, but none of this is the least bit amusing, at least not to Dean.

"Abomination. This ends now." Raphael announces as he appears, with four angels behind him, watching.

Sam smirks and Dean would be lying if he said it didn't remind him of Lucifer but he can't think that, that can't be.

"Raphael," says Sam, approaching the archangel "I hear you're causing Castiel a lot of trouble."

"Our matters are none of your concern, vessel of the Traitor." Raphael sneers, "but you and your blasphemous existence _are_ my concern. You are meant to be Lucifer's meat - sacrificed in the great battle, nothing more. Let's see if we can't burn some sense into you."

Raphael lays his hand on Sam's forehead and Dean runs forward, screaming "NO!" Two of the other angels grab Dean and hold him back.

But Sam doesn't flinch, he doesn't light up from the inside out, he doesn't catch fire. What he does do, is clear his throat and ask, "What's wrong? Are you having trouble putting an end to my blasphemous existence?"

Raphael takes a step back, "What _are_ you?"

Sam smiles. "An abomination." He steps closer to Raphael and says ever-so-quietly, "You're done Raphael. You're going to call a cease-fire and agree to Castiel's terms."

Raphael laughs in disbelief. "Oh, am I?" He looks towards his soldiers who all seem equally amused. "and...why would I do that?"

Sam glances over his shoulder at Dean and looks almost regretful. Turning back to Raphael, he says, "Simple math, I guess. I killed Alistair and Lilith by drinking the blood of lower level demons." Sam lays his hand on Raphael's shoulder and continues, "What do you think I could do if I drank down Lucifer?"

There's a flutter of wings as all four of Raphael's soldiers move to stand behind Castiel, kneeling.

Raphael eyes Castiel with disdain and disappears.


	5. Hesperus is Phosphorus

"Lucifer," Michael shakes his brother softly. "Brother, what have you done to yourself?"

Lucifer looks up and smiles weakly, "What had to be done. Michael, you almost sound like you care. Have you...have you forgiven me after all this time?"

"We are supposed to be the agents of Fate. Even in going against Father's wishes, I realize now you were acting out his divine plan, but this...what you've done, it goes against everything..." Michael pulls Lucifer's withered form closer to him.

"The Winchesters are more than our vessels Michael, they are our counterparts. Sam showed me why we were wrong, this whole time. As angels, we're stagnant. We can't evolve beyond what we are. That's why humans are so damn special!" Lucifer spits out the last word and Michael can see a spark of the passion his brother had been consumed by for eons. "But I found a way, Michael. I found a way to claim that one advantage they have for myse-"  
>Lucifer spasms in Michael's arms and his light fades even further.<p>

Michael thinks he's crying. He hasn't ever done that before. "Brother, please- tell me how to help you. Please don't...don't leave me alone in here!"

"It's Sam, Michael. He needs what's left of me. He's calling me home," Lucifer looks up at Michael, unseeing and calm.

"This is madness! What makes you think you'll even exist anymore! Stay here! Fight back, don't just...you can't just give up. Not you." Michael is shaking in anger and helplessness.

Lucifer smiles serenely, "I'm not giving up. I'm not capable of that. I'm just moving on, I'm...ascending. Don't despair Michael, I've been reborn, and I will come back for you."

The Light is gone, and Michael weeps.


	6. Axis Mundi

Sam walked further and further down the road, past countless bodies (well, not bodies, not really) of angels from all three sides of the battle. The road, a two-lane highway as it always was for him, was covered with the incandescence of bloody feathers.

It was amusing to Sam that his mind still insisted on translating everything into human concepts; bodies, blood, feathers; when really all he was looking at was the tattered remains of thoughts that had once been given a life of their own. The architect of those lives was of course still mysteriously absent.

_Finally_, thought Sam as he saw the faint outline of a skyscraper in the distance. Now that he knew where his destination was, he stopped walking and willed himself into the building.

That never got old.

The lobby looked suspiciously empty. _Show yourself_, Sam thought, at nothing in particular.

"You...you can't be here!" came a voice: shaking, frightened.

Sam stared for a minute, trying to remember. "Tahariel, is it?"

The angel nodded and swallowed, "You can't be here. Please, leave."

"I don't want to leave. I just got here, and I've been searching for quite some time now..." Sam could see the bank of elevators on the far wall. He walked towards them.

"No! Stop!" Tahariel grabbed Sam's arm.

Picking off the bloody feathers now stuck to him, Sam kept going and hit the elevator button marked "UP."


	7. Apotropaic

Bobby lowered his beer bottle and stared at Dean for a moment before saying,"So, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to find a tracking spell..." Dean looked down at his fingers. This whole plan made him uncomfortable, but he was completely out of ideas, except for this. Dean swallowed, looked Bobby in the eyes and said "I need you to find my amulet...the one Sam gave me."

"Why? You gonna try to find God again?" Bobby asked.

"Actually, you're not that far off." Dean cleared his throat, "Look, Bobby- Cas is pretty sure Heaven's going to collapse completely from all the infighting if we don't do something. He thinks we can use the amulet to uh...to make a call, so to speak."

"Uh-huh." Bobby stood up, "Well, ok then." He walked towards the fireplace and opened the small panel under the mantle where he kept his journal. He walked back over to Dean, and put an envelope on the desk, in front of Dean "Don't need a tracking spell."

Dean opened the envelope and let the familiar weight of the horned amulet fall into his hand. "How did you-"

"Sam gave it to me, right before we went to find Lucifer. He said you didn't want it anymore, but maybe you'd need it again some day." Bobby took a swig of his beer, "Guess he was right."

"Bobby, I uh...thanks." Dean paused and slipped the worn cord over his head. "I don't know how this is all gonna end, but it- it looks pretty bad right now. All these angels fighting each other- I don't think they even know why they're fighting anymore, half the time...anyway Cas and I are gonna try this one last thing. If I don't make it back, can you-"

"Dean, where's Sam, in all of this? I don't get it. He was helping you, right? I mean, no matter what he can do now, he's still your brother."

Dean stood up, exhaled heavily and said, "Sam is complicated."


	8. Omega

The elevator doors opened, and Sam stepped outside.

The Garden was particularly mundane in it's current incarnation - a rooftop sprawl, sloppy and incomplete, and somewhere deep inside that offended him. Granted, the Host hadn't put up much of a fight, but still - Sam was _here_, in the inner sanctum, uninvited, unwelcome and so very, very angry.

"I know you can hear me." Sam started, "I'm sure this has all been hilarious to you, watching me try _everything_ to free Michael, and failing over and _over_. Do you know how many angels have died trying to help me free him? How many died trying to stop me? Do you have any idea? Do you even care?"

Sam walked over to a statue of a cherub and glared at it. He reached down to his hip sheath, pulled out the small scythe he'd brought along and brought the curved point of it straight down into the cherub's head. "Death says hi, by the way."

Sam sighed, "All I want is for you to free him! That's it! I...I can't be here, I can't do this, knowing he's still down there forever...all because he listened to **_you_**. I swear, I will get him out. If I have to tear down Heaven to-" and then Sam saw it.

The Throne, much like the Garden, was ever-changing, but he knew with certainty what he was looking at. It was a plain, wooden chair - oak, worn, and the hypocenter of all of Creation.

Sam Winchester, the Morningstar, closed his eyes, took a seat and felt reality heave and strain as it struggled to realign itself.


	9. Intrinsic

"You wanna elaborate on that?" Bobby said, watching Dean as he came back from the kitchen with two more beers.

Dean let himself fall back into his chair with a thump. "No, not really...but you need to know the whole deal." Dean put his bottle down on the desk, looked Bobby right in the eyes and continued, "Remember a few weeks ago, when Meg set that trap for us at the warehouse?"

"Yeah, that's when you said Sam's wall came down, and his powers kicked back in big time."

"Understatement." Dean pulled the beer bottle closer and drank deeply before setting it back down, "So Meg called a ton of Hellhounds in to kill us. Thirty easy. She had me and Sam pinned, and Sam just...just frees himself and puts his arm out and the Hellhounds just start exploding all around us. Then he takes out Meg like it's nothing."

"-and, I mean I hate that I even have to ask, but- we're sure he hasn't been drinking demon blood again?" Bobby asks, uneasy.

"No. Even when he was, he was never...his eyes were _glowing_, Bobby. They were white, not like Lilith-white, but like..." Dean looked down and found the amulet - back where it should be "The only time I've ever seen anything that bright is when I stabbed that dick Zachariah. Or when we saw Lucifer escape back at that convent. It was _grace_, and I think we both know whose."

Bobby leaned back in his chair a bit, "You know, I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why is it that you both still have eyes?"

"Well, I mean _technically_ we've both been dead a few times now."

"You know what I mean. Why could you just stare at Zachariah while he was dying? Why could Sam stare at Lucifer when he was busting out? You never wonder 'bout that?"

"Well if I had to guess, it's probably because we're both vessels" Dean scoffed.

"Mmmhmm. So, don't you think that gives you a certain innate advantage dealing with Sam, even if he's all...whatever he is now?"

"He's still got my back. You don't have to worry about that." Dean fidgeted remembering the rather spectacular reminder of that fact he'd had when he'd been confronted by the unluckiest group of angels to ever set foot near him. They'd muttered something about using him as a 'bargaining chip' and then tried to grab him, there was a _blast-wave_, and then Dean was shaking his head trying to get his eyes and ears to start working again. He could just make out Sam, who nodded once and then vanished. That was the last time he'd seen Sam.

Bobby glared at him impatiently,"Ok, so then why don't you just-"

"Dean. We need to go, now." Castiel announced from directly behind Dean's chair, causing Dean to nearly drop his beer bottle.

"Hello to you too, Cas. What happened now?" Dean said, turning to face Castiel.

"Something is...very wrong. There's been- I guess you could call it an earthquake. A massive one."

"In Heaven?" Dean chuckled, "How does that work when there's no earth?"

"I don't have time to explain. Whatever happened, it sent a shockwave all the way from Heaven down to here. Down to a very specific location."

"Where?" Bobby asked, getting out of his chair.

"Stull Cemetery."


	10. And All the King's Men

Stull Cemetery hadn't looked quite this...chaotic, the last time Dean had been here. Castiel had zapped them both to the outskirts of the cemetery ground, but Dean knew that only because of the cemetery sign he was standing on top of.

The ground in the cemetery was mostly gone. In its place was a vast pit. The weirdest part though was that pieces of the torn up earth were hovering in the air, stretching upwards for miles. It was like some giant hand had reached down, dug out a handful of earth and then retracted, leaving chunks of the ground stuck in it's wake as though the air itself were made of amber.

"Cas, what the Hell is this?" Dean asked.

"I believe someone attempted to open the Cage." said Castiel, gazing upward at the trail of earth.

"Gee, ya think?" Dean walked forward, onto the cemetery grounds, some morbid curiosity pushing him to peer over the edge and see what he could see.

Castiel grabbed his arm, "Dean don't go any closer, it's-" and then there was a blinding light and Dean was staring at a lobby of an office building.

"Ok...and, where are we now?" Dean asked, looking around and trying to take in his new surroundings.

Castiel was staring at the far wall, which had some of the ugliest wallpaper Dean had ever seen. It was some modern art type print, all random splashes of red paint and black feathers, and..."Oh,"Dean swallowed, "is that what I think it is?"

"Yes." said Castiel and turned away from the remains of his brethren to head toward the elevators.

There were no buttons on the inside of the elevator, but it dinged politely once Dean followed Castiel in and started going up. It opened again, moments later onto a hallway covered in a far thicker, and far more gruesome mass of feathers and blood. Though Dean couldn't see any light fixtures, there had to be some, because they were flickering.

Dean saw Castiel heading toward a large set of ebony double doors and went after him.

A weak snort came from behind them. "You're a bit late, Castiel." Raphael wheezed. He was slouched against the wall in the corner of the elevator bank.

Castiel turned to face him, "Raphael. What happened here? Did you free Michael?"

Raphael laughed loudly until it turned into a hacking cough. "Michael? No, no if I had been the one to free him, do you think any of this would have happened?" Raphael pushed himself slowly to his feet and leaned back against the wall again for support. "It's done, Castiel. We're all done. The Traitor has taken the Throne."

Castiel stared at Raphael, "That's...not possible. If that had happened, wouldn't we all know by now? Wouldn't Earth be burning?"

"Maybe he wanted Michael to witness the end of our Father's creation? I don't know, I don't care, but what I do know is that because of you, we missed our chance to stop him. This is your doing Castiel. You and your insistence on breaking every rule, disobeying every command. You may as well go in there right now and fall to your knees. You've served the Morningstar well." Raphael's anger was palpable, but Dean didn't really care.

"You think this is Castiel's fault? He did nothing but try to stop all this crap! That's all he's ever done!" Dean would have probably gone on, but despite their heated arguing, all three of them heard an audible click as the doors opened.

Dean turned to ask Castiel if they should go in, but he was gone. Raphael had vanished too. _The two probably fluttered inside without me. Awesome. _thought Dean, and went to open the doors further. Whatever was through the doors was unbearably bright. Dean blinked as he walked forward, until he could see again.

He was in what looked like an endless desert. Barren except for thousands of vines running along the ground. They were rose vines. _Of course they're rose vines._

"So...is this a bad sign?" When he got no answer, he looked behind him, looked all around him, but couldn't find either angel, or any sign of the doors.

Dean walked for a few minutes in silence, more creeped out than he would have cared to admit, until he saw a massive, pale tree up ahead.

The vines ran closer together the further he walked and met at the base of the tree. Dean was close enough to be under its branches, where it was raining. He wiped a stray drop from his cheek with his thumb only to find it stained red with blood. Dean looked up again and saw that it was an apple tree. It wasn't just pale, it was completely, impossibly white, down to the leaves; only the apples were red, and dripping.

At the base of the tree was Sam. He was huddled over something hidden from Dean's view and his shoulders were shaking. Dean recognized the sight for what it was immediately. Sam was crying.

As he got closer, he heard him saying over and over, "No, no, no, no..." the closer he got to the tree, the more details he noticed. At first he'd thought the trunk was warped where Sam was kneeling, but that wasn't all there was to it. The tree itself was shaped differently here. There was a throne built into the trunk of the tree, huge and pristine. Steps led down from it, and at the foot of those steps, no longer completely obscured by Sam was something that looked almost like a person.

When he was close enough to reach out and touch his shoulder, Dean spoke, "Sam?" He leaned closer and nearly touched his shoulder, when Sam turned to him. As he did, Dean could see that whatever he was holding was running through his fingers like sand.

Sam's eyes were twin suns again, and when he spoke, Dean felt every word echo through his bones. "I got him out. I promised him I would, and I did, but...he's not...something's wrong." Sam turned back and gently pushed the shimmering mass that had slipped through his grip back together. As Dean watched, he could see a humanoid form taking shape.

"Opening the Cage was easy, after..." Sam stopped, and leaned forward, inspecting his handiwork. Sam's fingers were around what would be the face of the person. As he sat back up, Dean thought he could see eyes, a hazy mirror of Sam's own, glowing softly. "...but he won't wake up. I know he's here, but he's...he's broken. I can't- why can't I fix him? I can't fix him. I keep trying and he keeps falling apart."

"Michael? Is that Michael, Sam?" Dean asked, suddenly feeling a sense of dread. "You got him out, but how long was he down there? I mean, Hell does a number on every-"

"**He was fine!**" Sam bellowed, and Dean fell, landing in an undignified sprawl. "He was fine," Sam repeated, "I could hear him, I could feel his relief when I finally cracked the Cage wide open, but then I went to get him out and there was something there, trying to stop me, and I pulled harder and I got him free, but..."

Dean never did learn. He got back up, walked over to where Sam sat with what was left of Michael, and knelt beside him. "It's not your fault."

Sam looked toward him but not at him and then snarled, "No, it's _yours_." and grabbed for the amulet around Dean's neck.

"M-mine?" Dean stuttered, scrambling backwards, but Sam was facing away from him, staring at the amulet he'd torn free which had come flaring to life, burning so brilliantly Dean had to look away. Dean closed his eyes, and listened.

Sam's voice was everywhere, inescapable, and Dean could feel his anger - moments away from crushing...everything "**You did this! You coward! I know you can hear me! Give him back! Give him back or I'll-**"

"Or you'll what?" Dean asked. "Destroy the world? How is that gonna help?" Dean had no idea if Sam was listening to him, or not, so he went on, "Listen to me, for just one minute ok?"

He heard, distantly, the muffled clatter of metal, which Dean imagined had to have been Sam flinging the amulet somewhere far away. Dean breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he could open his eyes again. He sat up a little straighter and continued, "One of the last times we saw each other, I asked you what it felt like, remember?"

Sam was sitting back at the foot of the tree, at the foot of the Throne. He looked at Dean, and his eyes were hazel and human, "You asked me what it was like to be Lucifer...I told you I'd always been him." Moment over, Sam turned his attention back down to Michael.

"You said - 'We're two halves made whole'. I thought it was a load of crap at the time, honestly, but...considering everything..." Dean couldn't think of anything else to explain what he had suddenly realized, so he just kept going, "Anyway... do you think it's the same with Michael and me? Do you think, we're connected too?"

Sam remained focused on Michael, "What if you were?"

"I just thought, maybe...I could help? If I said yes to him, now - would that even work? I mean, do you think there's a chance it could bring him back?"

When Sam looked at him again, Dean couldn't read Sam's eyes at all. They were still hazel, but they were anything but human. The Morningstar was looking at him, and he was ancient, immensely powerful and considering Dean very, very thoroughly.

"It might save him. It might destroy you. Nothing like this has ever happened before." Sam looked at Dean expectantly, and continued, "Why would you even offer something like this, now, after fighting it your whole life?"

Dean smiled, "That's easy- because I know what it's like to lose your brother. I know what it's like to wish the world would just go away so you didn't have to feel so damn alone all the time. I know you know it too Sam, and I know that's what's making this so much worse." Dean looked back down at Michael, "Whatever Lucifer would've felt about this, I know you agree with him one hundred percent, and honestly...I'm kind of surprised the world is still standing. Well, mostly."

Sam broke his gaze, looked back down, and ran his fingers over Michael's forehead. "He's still there, I know he is."

"Ok then," Dean looked down at Michael, at his featureless face, and said softly, "Yes."


End file.
